Wood Pellets

[trendybraincell]

Hey guys,

I've decided to change to wood pellets. I have used them before but a few years ago in a stable with terrible drainage, straight onto concrete and with water coming in the back of the stable. So all in all not a good combination!!

Anyways, my new stable is bigger (14X13, I think) so I'm just wondering how many bags people would think I would need to start the bed off? If I can find the money I would order the 100 bags from corley, but I'm not sure I have enough storage space so need to know how many I would have left over once I'd put down a bed.

Thanks

 

[sillygillyhorse]

I did beds in 12 x 14 boxes straight on to concrete. I like a really deep bed with banks so used about 23 bags to start it off! After that I was using about 2 bags a week. If you buy 100 from Corley they come shrink wrapped on a pallet and will stand outside, mine are outside and I have no problems with them.

 

[Bowen4Horses]

depends what make you're getting (some come in 10kg bags, some in 13.5 and some in 20)

i have a 12x12 stable with matting and put down 12 x 13.5kg bags to start with. so that's 135kg. i top up with one or two bags a week.

 

[flyingfeet]

My stable is circa 14 x 16 and I put down 30 bags and have a very deep bed

 

[Daisychain]

Have you ever tried rape straw??? Its the best most absorbant easiest to muck out ever! I tried it by chance and its definately better than anything else.

 

[MissMincePie&Brandy]

You'll need to use rubber matting, and then put 5 bags in and wet it well. Within a couple of hours it will have expanded by about 4 times, and you can decide if you need another. My advice is don't go crazy to start with, otherwise you'll end up with a totally unmanageable bed, and you need to be able to go through the lot every day to keep it in tip top condition and get the most benefit from it. It is not supposed to look like a big cosy bed of shavings, and if you put that much in, it will not be manageable and you won’t be able to keep it clean without a herculean mucking out effort every day.

I use Aquamax. They are 13kg bags. Some of the other wood pellet makes come in smaller bags and are less absorbent, so you might need to use more?

 

[9tails]

I do the opposite to Misinterpreted. My bed has been down for about 4 months and it is incredibly well compacted. The wee isn't taken out at all and the poos are lifted from the top of the bed every morning. Then I rake over with a garden rake to loosen the top and aerate it a bit, sweep it into a nice line and job done. Every weekend I sprinkle one or 2 bags of dry pellets over the top and rake them in a bit.

I started with 8 bags on rubber mats in a 12 x 12 stall. I have a half bed at the back.

 

[Cloud9]

I have quite a large stable but have put down a wood pellet bed in the last week - area for bed is about 12 foot by 8ft and I used 20 10kg bags and it has given me a bed about 5" deep (with no banks).